Digital inequalities at high schools in Thailand: A survey-based exploration leading to expert-backed bridging strategies

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the accessibility of online education for high school students in Thailand. It especially focuses on identifying the inequalities among Thai students in terms of availability of IT hardware, internet access, and IT skills by comparing the results of surveys of students in urban areas with those from students in rural areas within Thailand. Based on these findings and input from experts in the Thai education system, strategies to reduce digital inequalities are presented. Design/methodology/approach: To fulfill the objectives of this research, primary data is collected through online surveys with Thai high school students in order to explore digital inequalities. Additionally, semi-structured interviews with experts on Thai education are conducted in order to evaluate the findings from the students’ survey responses and to generate bridging strategies. Moreover, a regional comparison based on findings from research conducted in neighboring countries will enable an analysis of the findings in an international context. Findings: This research provides information and insights into digital inequalities existing in the Thai education system. It reveals insights into the availability of IT hardware and access to the internet for online education, as well as the IT skills of high school students across Thailand. It highlights the differences in these areas between urban and rural locations within the country. Based on these findings, expert-backed recommendations are provided to bridge these inequalities. Originality/value: The demand for IT in education is increasing significantly. Recent developments, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have accelerated such trends. These rapid evolutions need to be explored regularly in order to inform appropriate intervention strategies. Therefore, this research contributes to academia and enhances the ability of stakeholders and decision-makers in Thailand’s education sector to respond effectively to the increasing digital inequalities experienced by Thai high school students

EFFECTIVENESS OF SMARTPHONE ON EFL READING: LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION IN ASIAN COUNTRIES

COVID-19, the deadly and infectious virus, is a devastating blow for the world. Every single person in the world today has been impaired by Coronavirus in a variety of ways. The educational system across the globe has thundered this new phenomenon. Many institutions have moved their programs from offline to online mode. This pandemic left no other option for the academy but to adopt a new method of pedagogy. Smartphones would be a better way to promote online education. Smartphone users have been rising excessively in Asia in recent years. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the learners' perception in Asian countries concerning the effectiveness of smartphone on EFL reading. This research is a systematic analysis of a qualitative nature. Altogether, 39 studies were selected on the learning perception of the smartphone for EFL reading. The studies included the following countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand. These nine countries have been chosen from countries in Asia whose official language is different from English. The findings indicate that the reading habit of Asian EFL learners is less and is slowly decreasing, as conventional classrooms may not fulfill learners' needs at times, as printed books are not fun. Using a smartphone for an EFL-reading can be a better choice because the smartphone is accessible and affordable. Leaners spend a significant amount of time on smartphones, especially on social networking sites. Learners use smartphone apps to read vocabulary. The learners stress that smartphones help you find out what to learn and, most importantly, how to learn. Learners accept that using smartphones to learn English enhances their critical thinking, innovative thinking, questionability, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork to some degree. Specifically, the use of smartphone guides them to a lifelong learner who is self-reliant. The common problem with smartphones is interrupted Wi-Fi connectivity. Using a smartphone can contribute to several health issues. The learners' critical issue is the irritation of the eyes caused by the brightness of the screen. Some apps have a few pedagogical elements for reading. Nevertheless, learners agree that a smartphone cannot substitute a good teacher. They need guidance from teachers to decide what to learn and how to learn. Overall, reading smartphones in English has a positive effect in Asia. Article visualizations

Investigating the use of mobile applications in everyday language learning

The development of mobile phone applications has created a multiplicity of additional affordances and new ways of learning. In particular, mobile language learning applications such as online dictionaries and Google Translate combined with the technical affordances of smartphones and tablets are creating a new relationship between mobile learners and smart devices. In this exploratory study, a mixed method research design was used to understand how youth in Malaysia use their smart devices for learning languages and to uncover the extent of these learning experiences in their daily lives. 337 participants took part in a survey of their language learning experiences using mobile learning applications. Additionally, phenomenological interviews were conducted with 12 participants over a period of four months to uncover the lived experiences of their language learning. This paper presents the preliminary findings of the study which suggest learning is serendipitous, fragmentary and purposive; dependent on function and purpose. The findings may yield new understanding that may prove useful in its implications for formal and informal learning

Digital places: location-based digital practices in higher education using Bluetooth Beacons

The physical campus is a shared space that enables staff and students, industry and the public, to collaborate in the acquisition, construction and consolidation of knowledge. However, its position as the primary place for learning is being challenged by blended modes of study that range from learning experiences from fully online to more traditional campus-based approaches. Bluetooth beacons offer the potential to combine the strengths of both the digital world and the traditional university campus by augmenting physical spaces to enhance learning opportunities, and the student experience more generally. This simple technology offers new possibilities to extend and enrich opportunities for learning by exploiting the near-ubiquitous nature of personal technology. This paper provides a high-level overview of Bluetooth beacon technology, along with an indication of some of the ways in which it is developing, and ways that it could be used to support learning in higher education

Accuracy Verification of a Smartphone-Based PPK GNSS Surveying Technique and Earth Volume Determinations

Raw global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurements from a smartphone are used for position determinations as they can be extracted from the Android operating systems together with Thailand Department of Lands (DOL) provide network real-time kinematic GNSS correction services; hence, enabling cheaper and more compact for high precision solutions.  This study applies the GNSS raw observations obtained from a smartphone in order to determine positions and later compute an Earth volume based on obtained positioning results as Thailand constructions are increasing in different scales and earthworks is one of the primary works.  The experimental area is 11,145 square meters with 21 ground markers.  GNSS signals are measured every 1 second at 1-hour observation period.  Computed observations from a smartphone provide relatively optimal horizontal and vertical positioning accuracies of 4 and 8 centimetres with the longest convergence time of 40 minutes.  Differences between the determined Earth volumes using the smartphone-based and traditional surveying technique do not exceed 10%.  The estimated manhour and equipment cost are efficient can lead to 90% reduction.  Performances are demonstrated and assessed on actual earthwork computations.  Future work may apply estimated smartphone-based network real-time kinematic (NRTK) and post-processed kinematic (PPK) positioning solutions as ground control points for other earthwork determinations through aerial photography

Effective Online Safety Awareness for Young People in Less Developed Countries

In less developed countries (LDCs) there is a research deficit on the positive and negative aspects of their respective emerging digital cultures. Education programmes that seek to raise awareness of online safety, needs to be based on evidence and not simply transposed from other countries as the issues involved may be very different. Thailand, in particular, has very little data that can be used to create meaningful educational material. This was determined after a thorough literature review which found that most of the research has been carried out in the advanced economies of North America, Europe and Australasia. By contrast in South East Asia very little research had been carried out. This research proposes an integrative security awareness education framework for emerging digital cultures. It was constructed from the ground up so that it would be evidence led. In the first phase, a survey of the online behaviour and attitudes of young people in Thai schools was undertaken. Between November 2016 and June 2018, 352 students aged between 12 and 18 completed a comprehensive online questionnaire. In addition, 25 students were interviewed and asked to describe their online experiences both good and bad. From the survey it was found that 69% of students had been upset by an online interaction with 55% experiencing some form of cyber-bullying. They were also exposed to potentially harmful content. At least a third or more had seen posts or discussions on; committing suicide, self harm, being very thin, sexual images and hate messages against individuals and groups. In terms of mediation the interviews revealed a slightly different picture than the one painted in the survey. In the latter, young people suggested that they did sometimes talk to their parents and teachers about upsetting experiences. In the interviews most said that they did not tell their parents or teachers about negative online interactions. This was backed up during the workshops with most reasoning that what they were going through was not important enough to tell a parent or teacher or that they might be the ones that get blamed. They would either stay silent or tell a close friend. A series of online safety workshops were carried out structured around the theme of cyber-bullying as that was the standout issue from the surveys and interviews. An action-research approach was taken to determine what kind of activities would be best to engage Thai students. Activities that were based around active learning strategies like gamification (i.e. using elements of game design) and involving cooperation or competition proved the most successful. Activities where students had to present something or be involved in classroom discussions did not fare too well. The resulting education framework from the field research consists of themes and topics that are relevant to LDCs as well as the type of activities that works best. A novel component, ‘Cultural Mask’ was added to the framework. This looks at the influence of a country’s culture and its impact on education. In Thailand this includes the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP). In the education sector, SEP schools should promote student centric learning with creativity, critical thinking and problem solving amongst other goals. Knowledge they learn should lead to the betterment of their school and community. Therefore, the education framework can be adapted to reflect the SEP goals. In other LDCs by working through the education framework, awareness programmes can be developed that will be effective and culturally relevant

Utilizing English Pop Songs with Karaoke Application among Young Adults to Enhance Connected Speech Production

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of English pop songs with karaoke application in an EFL classroom. It aimed to figure out whether using English songs with karaoke application could enhance connected speech production and what the attitudes towards such a technique are. Data collected during the study was through an identical pre-test and post-test, a questionnaire, and an interview. There were 46 first-year students from a renowned university in Southern Thailand who participated in this study. The researcher divided the students into two groups. The control group was taught without the use of English songs or karaoke application, whereas the experimental group with the same instructor, was required to listen to and sing nine English pop songs. Additionally, they were encouraged to use a karaoke application on their smartphones to keep practicing the English songs they had sung. After analyzing the post-test mean scores of both groups by the independent samples t-test, the results showed that their connected speech production after using songs with karaoke application improved significantly (p<.05). The study concluded from the qualitative data that the students accepted this technique as a meaningful activity because it promoted pronunciation, listening and speaking skills, and vocabulary in English. Furthermore, learning English through songs and karaoke application were claimed as a fun and relaxed activity; the students could learn English anywhere and at any time. Keywords: English Pop Songs, Connected Speech Production, Karaoke Application                                                        บทคัดย่อ วิจัยนี้มีจุดประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาการใช้เพลงภาษาอังกฤษแนวป็อปร่วมกับแอปพลิเคชันคาราโอเกะในเรียนการสอนภาษาอังกฤษเป็นภาษาต่างประเทศ และเพื่อศึกษาว่าการใช้เพลงภาษาอังกฤษแนวป็อปร่วมกับแอปพลิเคชันคาราโอเกะส่งผลต่อการพัฒนาการออกเสียงที่ต่อเนื่องกันในภาษาอังกฤษหรือไม่ อีกทั้งสำรวจทัศนคติของการใช้เทคนิคนี้ ผู้วิจัยเก็บข้อมูลผ่านการทดสอบก่อน-หลังการทดลอง แบบสอบถาม และการสัมภาษณ์ ผู้เข้าร่วมวิจัยเป็นนักศึกษาชั้นปีที่ 1 ทั้งหมด 46 คน ซึ่งกำลังศึกษาในมหาวิทยาลัยที่มีชื่อเสียงแห่งหนึ่งในภาคใต้ ผู้วิจัยได้แบ่งกลุ่มทดลองเป็นสองกลุ่ม โดยกลุ่มควบคุมนั้นมีการเรียนการสอนโดยปราศจากการใช้เพลงภาษาอังกฤษแนวป็อปร่วมกับแอปพลิเคชันคาราโอเกะ แต่ในกลุ่มทดลองนั้น ผู้เรียนจะได้ฟังและฝึกร้องเพลงภาษาอังกฤษแนวป็อปทั้งหมด 9 เพลง นอกจากนี้นอกชั้นเรียน ผู้วิจัยเชิญชวนและส่งเสริมให้ใช้แอปพลิเคชันคาราโอเกะในมือถือของผู้เรียนเองเพื่อฝึกร้องเพลงภาษาอังกฤษ จากการวิเคราะห์ค่าเฉลี่ยการทดสอบหลังการทดลองโดย Independent Sample T-test พบว่าความสามารถในการออกเสียงต่อเนื่องกันในภาษาอังกฤษของผู้เรียนเพิ่มขึ้นอย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ .05 ผลจากแบบสอบถามสนับสนุนว่าการใช้เพลงภาษาอังกฤษแนวป็อปร่วมกับแอปพลิเคชันคาราโอเกะนั้นเป็นวิธีที่มีประโยชน์ต่อการฝึกออกเสียง ทักษะการฟังการพูด และการเรียนรู้คำศัพท์ ยิ่งไปกว่านั้นผู้เรียนมีความเห็นว่าเทคนิคนี้เป็นกิจกรรมในการเรียนการสอนที่สนุกและเพลิดเพลิน รวมทั้งผู้เรียนยังสามารถเรียนรู้ภาษาอังกฤษได้ทุกที่ทุกเวลาอีกด้ว

Using mHealth to improve health care delivery in India: A qualitative examination of the perspectives of community health workers and beneficiaries.

BACKGROUND:mHealth technologies are proliferating globally to address quality and timeliness of health care delivery by Community Health Workers (CHWs). This study aimed to examine CHW and beneficiaries' perceptions of a new mHealth intervention (Common Application Software [CAS] for CHWs in India. The objectives of the study were to seek perspectives of CHWs and beneficiaries on the uptake of CAS, changes in CHW-beneficiary interactions since the introduction of CAS and potential barriers faced by CHWs in use of CAS. Further, important contextual factors related to CHW-beneficiary interface and dynamics that may have a bearing on CAS have been described. METHODS:A qualitative study was conducted in two states of India (Bihar and Madhya Pradesh) from March-April 2018 with CHWs (n = 32) and beneficiaries (n = 55). All interviews were conducted and recorded in Hindi, transcribed and translated into English, and coded and thematically analysed using Dedoose. FINDINGS:The mHealth intervention was acceptable to the CHWs who felt that CAS improved their status in the communities where they worked. Beneficiaries' views were a mix of positive and negative perceptions. The divergent views between CHWs and beneficiaries surrounding the use and impact of CAS highlight an underlying mistrust, socio-cultural barriers in engagement, and technological barriers in implementation. All these contextual factors can influence the perception and uptake of CAS. CONCLUSIONS:mHealth interventions targeting CHWs and beneficiaries have the potential to improve performance of CHWs, reduce barriers to information and potentially change the behaviors of beneficiaries. While technology is an enabler for CHWs to improve their service delivery, it does not necessarily help overcome social and cultural barriers that impede CHW-beneficiary interactions to bring about improvements in knowledge and health behaviors. Future interventions for CHWs including mHealth interventions should examine contextual factors along with the acceptability, accessibility, and usability by beneficiaries and community members

HIV/AIDS Mobile Applications: An Assessment for At-Risk Populations in Thailand

There is not adequate case management and reporting of HIV/AIDS among the most at-risk populations in Thailand due in part to a lack of appropriate technology. The goal of this project was to determine the most effective mobile application or application features for HIV/AIDS management from the perspectives of the target populations, case managers, and Population Services International. We produced a framework for evaluating existing and future applications, developed a prototype application, and provided recommendations for related projects